Effects of retinol on follicular porcine thyrocytes in culture.

Retinoids influence proliferation and differentiation in transformed thyroid cell lines. Retinoids are able to damage cells by destabilizing lysosomal membranes and induce apoptosis in certain cell lines. In normal thyrocytes retinol modulates iodine metabolism. At concentrations higher than 50x10(-6) M retinoids are cytotoxic for normal (not transformed) thyroid cells. The mechanism of this cytotoxicity is unknown. We studied the effect of 7-80x10(-6) M retinol on porcine follicular thyrocytes in culture. In order to differentiate between membrane-destabilizing effects and apoptosis we investigated cultures after incubation with retinol by light- and electron-microscopy and by labeling of potential nicks in the DNA helix by terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-dUTP mediated DNA nick end labeling. We conclude that the observed cytotoxicity is caused mainly by the induction of apoptosis.